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Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 9:52 pm
by fortworthdude
I need to get a knowledgeable response to this precise situation and question.

Situation 1st, question 2nd.

Situation: I was at the gun show this weekend. I found a gun that I would have liked to purchase. I am a Texas CHL and a Green Card Holder. I had my CHL with me, my drivers license with me, my Green Card number with me but not the actual card and of course cash. At the point of sale the dealer said that the number was not enough he needed to actually see the card.

Question: Based on the situation mentioned did the dealer make an error or was his position correct?

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 9:58 pm
by JP171
I think he was being over cautious, having the CHL should be enough, however the BATFE could give him a hard road to travel should he not see the actual card. specially if your card is a first time resident alien card and close to expiring. not sure if you have your permanant card or you were still in the initial period

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 10:04 pm
by Gameover
To my understanding the number and the dl/chl should suffice.

And are you telling me there's no "gun show loop hole"???? :biggrinjester:

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 10:10 pm
by JP171
actually yes there is still that, should he purchase from a private person he wouldn't need any of the ID unless the seller made him show it

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 10:16 pm
by Gameover
JP171 wrote:actually yes there is still that, should he purchase from a private person he wouldn't need any of the ID unless the seller made him show it
But you see this has nothing to do with a "gun show", its a private sale but there making it out to be about gun shows.

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 10:24 pm
by JP171
Gameover wrote:
JP171 wrote:actually yes there is still that, should he purchase from a private person he wouldn't need any of the ID unless the seller made him show it
But you see this has nothing to do with a "gun show", its a private sale but there making it out to be about gun shows.

I agree totally, they are using the fact that a person can rent a table at a gun show and sell his toys without any requirement to call the gestapo about the sale. yes its a crock full but it is what it is

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 10:37 pm
by urnoodle
What I remember from my CHL class eons ago, December 2011 :mrgreen: , a CHL is not valid proof of identity. Yea I don't get it it's issued by the same agency that issues DL. So that being said I also remember when my mother had a green card, her driver's license and green card had to always be produced together to show proof of ID. Since I have to provide my DL with my CHL when buying a firearm, I assume this is the reason the dealer asked for it. I'm not saying its right, just hypothesizing why they asked for the actual green card.

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 10:58 pm
by sjfcontrol
urnoodle wrote:What I remember from my CHL class eons ago, December 2011 :mrgreen: , a CHL is not valid proof of identity. Yea I don't get it it's issued by the same agency that issues DL. So that being said I also remember when my mother had a green card, her driver's license and green card had to always be produced together to show proof of ID. Since I have to provide my DL with my CHL when buying a firearm, I assume this is the reason the dealer asked for it. I'm not saying its right, just hypothesizing why they asked for the actual green card.
The op had both DL and CHL (and green card #)

I wonder if he hadn't mentioned the green card, if the other two IDs would have sufficed. That's all I give when buying from a retail establishment.

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:36 pm
by urnoodle
I maybe wrong but I thought the Texas DL has temporary visitor displayed on it. Usually the expiration date is the same as the expiration of the green card. Maybe this temporary visitor status is why the dealer asked for green card to confirm temporary status is still valid.

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:48 pm
by apostate
Permanent Residence status doesn't expire. At least it didn't for my family members who had green cards.

DPS does however do the special DL for temporary visitors with H1B and student visas, from what I have seen.

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:56 pm
by JP171
apostate wrote:Permanent Residence status doesn't expire. At least it didn't for my family members who had green cards.

DPS does however do the special DL for temporary visitors with H1B and student visas, from what I have seen.

you are correct Permanant resident status doesn't, but you have to have a green card that lasts I think 5 years then get your perm card and there is an application you have to do and a background check and all kinds of stuff between them, A guy I work with had to do all this stuff, he has lived here for about 8 or 9 years because they keep extending his first card, he now has his permanant resident alien card. we were talking about all the hoops he had to go thru, he said it was awful, he is from Honduras , minimally considered us satellite state. and yes he has firearms but he told me it was hades getting them

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:08 am
by urnoodle
I remember my mother had to jump through a lot of hoops too when I was growing up and she was married to an American. Sometime in the 1980s she became a citizen so she could vote.

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:21 am
by fortworthdude
I am the one that started this string. Just for the record I have been in Texas for many years and have a non expiring Green Card. We seem to have gone off at a bit of a tangent. I supplied a copy of my Brit passport and a copy of my green card when I went through the CHL application process. When going to the show it would not have occurred to me that they would have actually wanted to see the card. I have now bought a gun from a web broker and it is going to be sent to an FFL for pickup. I am going to take my green card with me and see what they have to say. I will only offer it if asked. Maybe my experience is a lesson to be learned for me and other green card holders.

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:28 am
by urnoodle
:thumbs2: I hope you have a better experience than your previous one.

Re: Green Card holder with a CHL

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 3:35 am
by JP171
fortworthdude wrote:I am the one that started this string. Just for the record I have been in Texas for many years and have a non expiring Green Card. We seem to have gone off at a bit of a tangent. I supplied a copy of my Brit passport and a copy of my green card when I went through the CHL application process. When going to the show it would not have occurred to me that they would have actually wanted to see the card. I have now bought a gun from a web broker and it is going to be sent to an FFL for pickup. I am going to take my green card with me and see what they have to say. I will only offer it if asked. Maybe my experience is a lesson to be learned for me and other green card holders.

Excellent, hope it all works good for you. and yes we at times go off on tangetal discussions. British citizens do have a bit of a better time getting perm cards along with other english speaking countries. I do think that earlier I did say that it may just be the person selling the item, the law doesn't preclude them asking just makes it unnecessary and without merit.